《The Arrangement》28
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"Wait, hold on," Jungkook said. "Back it up."
Jimin rolled his eyes at his friend. "I don't know why this is so confusing to understand."
"It's not everyday your friend is involved in a love triangle," Jungkook defended.
The two boys had just wrapped up the day's busy schedule and were catching up over the past week. The younger refrained from telling Jimin too much; he simply said that V and him had found common ground within each other. It wasn't clear if Jimin believed Jungkook or not, but luckily the elder didn't push any further.
"It's not a love triangle," Jimin chided as he stretched his arms above his head. "It's more like an attraction triangle."
Jungkook smacked Jimin's arm as he tried to piece together everything. "So J-Hope came onto you. And Suga witnessed. And J-Hope wants you to somehow try dating both of them. But together."
Jimin nodded. "Yup. Suga kept saying how unprofessional it would be. And Hobi retorted that he wasn't my mentor . . . "
"But Suga didn't necessarily say he wasn't interested. Interesting," Jungkook concluded, rubbing his friend on the back. "What are your thoughts on all of this?"
The elder sighed, his pink hair flopping onto his forehead. "It's not a concept I'm familiar with. So . . . I don't know how to feel. I mean, Hobi and I get along so well. He's such a happy person and brings lots of laughter into my life. But Suga . . . he's quiet. And intense. It's hard to read what's going on inside his mind."
"Well, keep an open mind, okay? Just see how things shake out."
Jungkook smiled at his friend before getting up.
"Heading back with V?" Jimin asked lowly, making sure to not draw any additional attention. Jungkook had asked him to keep quiet about their living situation and the elder kindly agreed.
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"Yeah. I think he mentioned something about meeting Jin," Jungkook explained.
Jimin shook his head in amusement. "How is it that Jin knows everyone? I mean, he never told us he knew V!"
The younger nodded, but knew the reason why Jin never revealed that he knew V. Jin was never interested in bragging about the connection because the worldwide artist was family to him.
"It's a small world," Jungkook answered simply. "Keep me updated on your triangle situation."
Jimin waved him off with a sarcastic retort.
It was easy to find Taehyung after that. The elder was talking lyrics with RM, both huddled over scattered pieces of paper. Jungkook observed them in silence for a while, loving how seamlessly they worked together.
Taehyung was deeply engrossed in the work, rearranging lyrics to make a more fluid song. He bit his lip in concentration, his blue hair obscuring his face from Jungkook.
The younger smiled to himself while watching him. His mind replayed their earlier encounter, making his blood boil once more. But he also thought of the rest of their day and how they much they felt like a team.
Jungkook knew they still had a lot to work out. But, even still . . .
He knew he was fully in love with Taehyung. And not just the boy he used to know. But this man in front of him.
At that moment, Taehyung looked up and saw Jungkook leaning against the doorframe. His eyes lit up and he flashed a wide smile at the younger.
RM looked up as well, the happy expression on Taehyung's face so unfamiliar to him. "Jungkook. How was the day?"
The younger straighted, wanting to show the producer some respect. "Productive. We covered a lot of ground today."
Taehyung's eyes ran over his body before settling on his face again. "We certainly covered new territory, new milestones."
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Jungkook rolled his eyes, but a smile teased the corners of his lips.
"Look at this crew," a new voice said.
All heads turned towards Jin as he stood next to Jungkook, but the elder's eyes only focused on one person.
"You didn't answer my texts," Jin said to RM.
The producer shrugged his shoulders, but a faint coloring rose to his cheeks. "I didn't know which one to answer. You sent thirty seven messages."
Jin laughed. "Well, how about you answer just one thing now. What time do you get off tomorrow?"
"I'm not interested in dating you," RM said bluntly.
"Who said we were going out on a date?" Jin defended.
RM cheeks grew even redder, which Jungkook noticed immediately. Knowing his friend wouldn't relent, he decided to step in.
"What are you doing here, Jin? I thought we were meeting you." He asked. The producer sent him a thankful nod.
Jin turned his attention on the younger. "We're carpooling. You two ready to go?"
Taehyung bolted up, saluting RM before stalking out of the room.
Jungkook made to follow, but paused as he heard Jin speak next.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven, Namjoon."
"Come on, lover boy," Jungkook said as he grabbed Jin's wrist and dragged him away from the producer.
The three walked out to the garage where Jin's car was parked. Jungkook found out pretty quickly that Jin knew about his living arrangements, but oddly he seemed to have no questions about it.
"Your driver sick or something, Ta- . . . V?" Jin asked as he led them to his silver Mercedes.
Taehyung forgot he asked Jin to always call him V in front of Jungkook. When he initially made that request, there were still so many secrets and lies he was holding onto. But he was ready to open up now. He had Jungkook to thank for that.
"No, Jin, he's okay. I . . . I wanted to invite you over. To my place. As in inside," Taehyung stuttered out.
Jin froze. "What?"
"I'm sorry it's taken this long. There are a lot of things I need to tell you. Your parents, too. They're going to meet us there."
Jungkook looked at Taehyung with pride in his eyes. He knew it wasn't easy to suddenly change as the elder was trying to do. But the effort Taehyung was making blew Jungkook away. It made him realize how special the other boy was.
During their many conversations over the night, they decided together they'd tell Jin and his family the whole story. Only those three would get the full truth as they were family to Taehyung.
"Are you kidding?" Jin rasped out, his eyes glazed.
"Yes. It was all a joke. Classic V here. Gotcha!" Taehyung said playfully, bumping Jin's shoulder with his own.
Jungkook took in Jin's confused expression and choked on a laugh. "Despite Tae's lame excuse for a joke, he's actually not kidding."
Jin whipped his head between Jungkook and Taehyung, before finally settling on the blue haired boy. "He knows your name?"
Taehyung smiled and intertwined his fingers with Jungkook's. "As I said, I have a lot to tell you and your parents."
"Come on, Jin. Tae and I can't wait to catch you up on the last six years," Jungkook said as he got into the car.
Jin turned to look at him in the backseat. "How many years?"
"Start driving, Jinnie," Taehyung ordered. "You'll learn the whole story soon."
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